Who are the teams to watch?

Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are viewed by many as the three strongest in the tournament, and most feel the German champions will be the first team to retain the tournament in its Champions League guise.

Paris Saint-Germain are the dark horses. Laurent Blanc's side are eight points clear on the domestic front, and have the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lucas Moura and Edinson Cavani to call on.

Of course, they also have Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks, and the Sweden international has been in superb form all season for PSG.

Atletico Madrid are the La Liga-chasing street-fighters who have matched Barca and local rivals Real all season.

However, Diego Costa, David Villa and Koke aside, their relative lack of quality at this level could ultimately be their downfall.

Borussia Dortmund are not the same team as the one that swept their way to last year's final en route to winning over many neutrals with their expansive brand of football.

BVB still have the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus as well as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but there is a feeling that Jurgen Klopp's miracle workings have dulled slightly this term.

Can Man Utd or Chelsea actually win it?

United have endured a harrowing campaign domestically, but David Moyes has repeatedly sought solace in the Champions League.

Their 2-0 reverse to Greek champions Olympiakos last month was miserable, but the Red Devils turned it around in style on Wednesday night.

They can also look to rivals Liverpool for inspiration. The Reds famously lifted the trophy for a fifth time in Istanbul in 2005 with the likes of Milan Baros and Djimi Traore in their starting lineup.

Chelsea have mounted a title challenge all season without a real star striker up top and a large portion of their success has been down to the meticulous management of Jose Mourinho.

Of course, the Blues are laced with stars such as Willian, Oscar and the peerless Eden Hazard, but will it be enough for Mourinho's men to lift the trophy in the Portuguese boss ' homeland in May?